Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) has gained significant attention in recent years as the up and coming technology for wireless networks. In spite of a multitude of advantages this technology offers, conventional CDMA systems have very limited user throughput and are not well suited to "bandwidth on demand" multimedia applications. To accomodate such greater bandwidth applications, a Multi-Code CDMA (MC-CDMA) system was proposed and is the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 5,442,625, entitled "Code Division Multiple Access System Providing Variable Data Rate Access To A User," issued on Aug. 15, 1995. A straightforward implementation of a receiver for the MC-CDMA system may be significantly more complex than a receiver for a conventional CDMA system. Care must be taken to avoid increasing the complexity of the receiver by a factor of N in order to support N channels.
A patent application entitled "AN IMPROVED MULTI-CODE CODE DIVISION MULTIPLE ACCESS RECEIVER," by C.-L. I, C. Webb, and A. Partyka, Ser. No. 08/678,834, filed on Jul. 12, 1996, described an MC-CDMA receiver which exploits inherent timing and synchronization characteristics of any MC-CDMA system. Specifically, the receiver design tracks and acquires multiple code channels with a single timing and synchronization unit.
Notwithstanding the improvements provided in that application, there is a continuing need to further reduce the cost and power consumption at both the transmitter and receiver locations. Increases in cost and power consumption are of particular concern for mobile terminals.